Interception
by Aenlic
Summary: sequel to Deviation What deviates, must return. After the actions of a bitter trainer and his fight against time, can Red and Lance find themselves a place in the world, together? championshipping


**Interception  
**_Sequel to Deviation_**  
**

The hike up the mountain had been more difficult than what he had earlier anticipated but Red was ready for any challenge poised his way. He could almost hear Lance gasp with every move he made, every near slip he commited, and a part of him found himself actually surprised that the Dragon Master could be shocked, horrified and surprised, and he was glad that he was heading upwards - whatever would the other do to him, if Lance ever found out he was grinning all the while?

He still couldn't half believe it, what had occurred between them since the moment they'd met again for the first time. It had really been a whim, to return to Cerise to see what had resulted of the island after they had left it almost a year ago - he, Blue, Green, Yellow, Bill, Blaine... And of all things, what he had found was a still injured Dragon Master, Lance, formerly(or so Red would like to think) of the Elite Four. What had he done? The guilt inside him had bubbled, and he had taken Lance to the hospital in Cherrygrove, under a used name of Satoshi. Taken him there, watched him sleep, and fallen in love, all in one day. If he had been Red, from four years ago, he would have laughed at the thought of actually falling in love -- all that had been stuck inside his head back then was just the wish to follow in his father's footstep to become a pokémon trainer. The very same wish he he abandoned a year ago, choosing to fight as the Champion, defending his title from any challengers, foolish or strong, but none had succeeded into taking him down, until the unfair fight that had pitted an unwilling Bruno, and a determined duo of Lorelei and Agatha against him. In the end, he had been imprisoned by Lorelei's powers, stuck in the form of ice until he had been rescued - how many days later, he knew not - by a stranger who had handed him three stones, the miraculous stones that would not fade after use, and the spoon of destiny that had eventually led him to Cerise, and into battle.

Red had not been the one to fight Lance, though he knew he would have gladly done so, if he could, a year ago. It had been a fight to save humanity, to save that which the Elite Four believed useless and wanted to destroy -- Red, himself, growing up under a father such as his, believed that pokémon and humans were partners, were friends, and this was what he had told the little girl Pika helped to catch a Rattata for; what he hoped, one day, everybody would see and trust in.

It was a foolish thought, he knew, but it was one he held to. One never knew.

In a way, when Lance had collapsed, Red had seen that as the man's second chance to learn about how pokémon and humans could live in harmony, if only they tried. Cherrygrove was located just well out of Kanto, and yet close enough for Red to seek help, if he needed it. A part of him wanted to trust Lance, as Lance's pokémon had trusted him when they vanished into their pokéballs, leaving Charizard and Red alone with their unconscious trainer. He had not Yellow or Lance's ability to read a pokémon's mind, but from their pleading eyes, Red knew just how much they wanted Lance to be saved as well.

One night, and Red had spent it awake, watching him sleep, peacefully. He had almost smiled at that thought, and though a part of him wished he could take a picture to keep it by him forever, he resisted that urge and, instead, joked with the nurse when she came in to assist the doctor in administrating the injection. He had liked her, the carefree way she would bounce inside the hospital, cheering the depressed patients up -- he was glad that she had been there to keep his spirits high enough for when grumpy bitter Lance awoke.

Grumpy and bitter; Red found himself chuckling at his own description of the man, knowing deep down that Lance hadn't meant it. They had talked for a morning, until Lance had encountered a bit of a mood-swing. Nervously, he touched his wrist and moved onwards, pushing that dreaded memory down -- the pain, the strain... He had cried out in pain, but he had forgiven Lance.

...forgiven.

He could have sworn, as he slipped into darkness, he heard the other's apologetic voice murmur, "Sorry I couldn't help more" as the pain in his wrist had subsided.

And they had talked a lot more, until Red learnt things about Lance he never knew, and he knew Lance had, too, gained something from him -- something he didn't really know about, and then...

Another mood-swing had occurred. If Lance hadn't been so blatantly a male, Red would have, look-wise and moodswing-wise, mistaken him as a girl. Lance had rose, accusing him of things Red had never meant to do, and the Dragon Master had stalked off into the corridor, leaving behind the slamming of a door in his face, and all Red could do after the accusations, the emotional hurt... was to cry.

He didn't know how long after, when he stirred in the announcement made, warning of intruders. Of course he had to fight - he might be Satoshi, but he was still Champion, and he had his duties. He had ran, neglecting his injuries, neglecting himself, ran for the elevators and joined the quirky crew of trainers. Charizard was released, but the opponent had used water.

Water had flooded the area, like the aptitude test back in Viridian. Water, like then, had triggered the numbness in his wrist, in his ankles.

He had fallen; the Champion to mere thieves -- and he would have lost if it hadn't been for Lance and his Dragonite.

Lance had saved him, saved the entire hospital filled with humans, when he had previously tried to destroy and kill.

Red couldn't help but smile weakly back then when he felt the strange glowing light in his limbs; when the numbness faded away, though darkness took him over again, he knew he would be safe so long as the Dragon Master remained by his side.

Three days longer at the hospital, and then Lance insisted they needed to run. Red knew, from their conversations, that if news of a trainer and his Dragonite saving a hospital travelled to Blackthorn, the Gym Leader there would immediately seek out the man she believed to be her cousin, the exact same thing Lance seemed to fear -- coming in contact with what family he had left.

The other had told him that his parents were dead, but not how, or why. Red respected the man, and chose not to ask, for even he had skeletons in the closet to keep. His father... was dead.

Jerking out of his thoughts at the bitter realisation, Red raised his head as a strange scent hung in the air. Charizard gave out a happy sound, as close to happy as he could get, and he knew they were getting closer. The springs were covered by a thick air of fog, and only when they reached the water, did Red bend down and poke the surface of the water lightly, watching the ripples dance across until they disappeared into the fog, and beyond visibility. Smiling to himself, delighted at the success, he quickly threw off his clothes and entered the water, the warmth in them entering his body. But mere seconds, and he felt better already!

Charizard leaned closer to the water surface and the fire pokémon had to quickly back off when the water erupted in a stream. The reptile grabbed its tail and placed it far away from the springs and laughter ran through the air -- laughter? And it sounded... familiar too.

There -- Red could begin to see a figure in the fog. A feminine shape, with long air and... Oh no. He turned away, covering his eyes as he called out the name that belonged to a female Gym Leader he had fought a long time ago in a place that was now nothing but ruins. "Sabrina!"

And it was, her familiar voice sounding clearer in the fog than when he had fought her indirectly, four years ago. "The waters of Shirogane Mountain are said to produce the most flammable gases in a minute," she explained, her voice toneless. "Best not let any fire pokémon come close, or _that_ happens."

"Why are --"

But she interrupted him before he could go on, "Just like you, I'm seeking a cure."

He turned, and realised, in relief, that she was fully clothed, sitting by the side of her springs, droplets of water dripping from her wrist. "Lorelei?" he asked, but Red didn't need an answer, because he already knew.

She stood up, ignoring him. "How's Eevee?"

Red grinned as he touched one of the pokéballs hanging on his belt and released Espeon out of her ball. "Evolved," he said, stroking her on the head. "Well, this way, she doesn't have to feel the pain of devolving any longer." He let the psychic pokémon nuzzle his palm for a second longer before he called her back inside the ball. Turning back to Sabrina, Red stared at the psychic user as she let her hair down. "Sabrin--"

"Red," the Team Rocket(_former_, Red hoped) said, "something is happening in Johto. Someone is commanding Team Rocket, and evil forces are at work again. If you wish to hurry back to your friends' side, you had better heal."

"But --"

She was gone before he could say anything else.

Red sighed as he turned back to Charizard, who looked just as confused as he was. "I know I have to heal first before I can go back, or Green will get mad, but I..." Red lifted his wrist out of the water, and stared at it, as if he could make it heal that way. "I feel so useless -- Green, Blue and Yellow... If I go back now, I would only trouble them further, and I..."

Charizard nudged him.

The trainer glanced up, puzzled at first, until he saw the familiar silver spoon, with a note tied around it. "Looking for a faster cure? There's another hot spring," he read, "which helps treat injuries, but the journey there is fraught with danger. If you wish to go, this spoon will lead the way." Red inhaled deeply as he turned to look at the spoon, which pointed eastwards, towards Kanto.

Sabrina had been an enemy, but she had... _She had warned him, hadn't she? _Had helped him.

Red smiled.

Enemies _could_ help each other, after all.

§

Lance was waiting for him at the bottom of the mountain, a impatient look on his face as he sat on a rock, head turned skyward, the strong afternoon sun casting its rays down on the world below. As Red approached, he was half-amazed at the fact that the Dragon Master didn't seem to be perspiring any. _It's not just the cold exterior then_, Red thought, slightly amused at his own train of thought. He had walked slowly, softly, but it seemed nothing could surprise the older man, as he turned his gaze down and his eyes landed on Red.

Instead of smiling, which Red _did_ expect(looking back at it, he reckoned it was a bit too much to ask for), Lance frowned. "You haven't healed," he said pointedly, _disapprovingly_.

Red sobered, shaking his head, as he offered the note up to Lance, who looked, and it was as if he had scrutinized the words, the handwriting -- _all of it_ -- for it was minutes later that he finally turned to Red, a expression of utmost suspicion imprinted in the lines on his forehead. If the situation hadn't seem so serious, he would have made a joke -- something along the lines of _the lines are going to stay stuck, you know?_ It was Blue's kind of jokes, and Red was amazed at how much influence the younger girl(_by only a few days_, her voice added inside his head) had on him, though the small amount of time they had spent together. She was, after all, always trying to find out more about the bird that had kidnapped her as a child and that led her away from Pallet town often, which he had spent much of training in…

And Green? Red had no idea where his childhood friend and rival had gone to, until he came back and took the position of Viridian Gym Leader. He hadn't mind -- but he had been disappointed. The little girl with the Rattata had asked him, _him_, and he hadn't… been able to.

"You trust her?" Lance asked, his voice thick with hatred piercing Red's thoughts, jerking him back to the present.

_Of course,_ he surmised bitterly, _Lance would hate Sabrina. She had been part of Team Rocket, had tried to foil him…_

"She's an enemy, part of team Rocket," the Dragon Master hissed. "I don't see why she couldn't be lying to --"

"You _were _an enemy!"

"I never asked you to trust me," Lance retorted, folding his arms.

Red flinched backwards, and lowered his head. _Why… Why couldn't Lance understand that… _"But!" He glanced up and --

"Sorry."

Red blinked at the sight of Lance looking apologetic. "It's.. not your fault" he answered, biting his bottom lip. "I -- I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that, but I trust Sabrina. She fought with us, against -- against you four…" He winced, and realised how little his previous argument would be effective, especially against Lance. "Team Rocket's disbanded anyway, so, I…" He stiffened slightly when Lance jumped off the rock and gently wrapped one hand around his shoulders, but he relaxed into the hold.

"Are you… going then?" Lance's tone now sounded almost curious. "To the other springs?"

He nodded, then asked. "Are you coming…?" Red hoped he didn't sound too hopeful, but he wanted that other to come. There was this urge to just be close to Lance, closer than what they were now(which, Red reflected, was not much. They had feelings, which they admitted, but even then…).

The red-haired man sighed. "If I left you alone, you probably wouldn't live to see another day, Shi-chan."

He raised his head, growling. "Hey! I can fight, you know! I'm the Champion, remember? Unless Wa-chan has a memory loss," he said teasingly. One fought fire with fire after all.

Lance merely raised an eyebrow, and commented, "Maybe we should get started on heading to whenever this spoon points you, _Shi-chan_."

Red concurred.

_to be continued._

**Notes: **Against my better judgement, I have decided to toss one chapter up as bait before I even finished the story to see how the concept goes. I have no idea how I came to have the courage for a sequel instead of just leaving things there, but the canon freak in me is most displeased with the way I have screwed canon in Deviation, so Interception is meant to redeem it, in a sense. The entire fic should span across beginning of Red's stay in the springs, to the end of the Gold-Silver-Crystal arc, where Gold will pull Red away to, well, train with him. Only... :D

I don't normally insist reviews, but feeding me criticism, comments, appreciation will certainly help in the long run of trying to complete this and juggle some of the more interesting plot bunnies I have been getting.

Cheers!


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